In short: Hello opera, never mind the lack of game
Billed as a “roaming theatre game”, Silent State was really a roaming promenade performance with a tiny bit of game like tension and some great scenes which were a fun introduction to opera. Put together by Welsh National Opera, and Yellobrick (part of the Playark team) and featuring a local community choir that WNO had established, the game was set in (yet another) dystopia, one where music had been outlawed.
The setting was quickly established and a mixture of map based clues and recorded messages led us around Wrexham centre. The singing was dramatic, the character actors we encountered were strong and the team of gamers I was in amused ourselves and the organisers by taking far longer than expected, constantly changing our route in order to avoid the “enemy patrols”. A disorientating double ending and the wonderful artefacts of music gathered in the resistance headquarters were lovely touches.
The main problem? Keeping actor guides delivering ‘game’ and opera performers mostly separate meant that I never got out of ‘mildly entertained and curious’ mode and into being affected by the experience or connected with the characters, and since I couldn’t actually lose at the game either it was ultimately unsatisfying.
Vital Stats:
Show: Silent State
Company: Welsh National Opera and Yellobrick
Venue: Wrexham Town Centre
Date: May 2014
is200enough? 